Racetrackmasters

Sergio Perez will take a grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Racing Point elected to change his Mercedes power unit for the Formula 1 season finale. The Mexican had admitted that the engine that took him to victory in the Sakhir GP last weekend was getting towards the end of its life, and was already suffering from being down on power. But amid concerns that the power unit may not have enough mileage left to safely get through the Yas Marina weekend, Racing Point has bit the bullet and fitted brand new main elements. The switch to a new internal combustion engine, turbo chargers and MGU-H will push him to the back of the grid. However, having a fresh engine will allow Perez to run it to its maximum settings all weekend as he will not have to worry about it lasting after the weekend. The Perez situation will be good news to Racing Point’s rival McLaren that is locked in a tight fight for third place in the constructors’ championship.

Max Verstappen set the pace for Red Bull in opening practice for the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi as Lewis Hamilton returned after recovering from COVID-19. Seven-time world champion Hamilton was forced to miss last weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19 one day after his victory in Bahrain. Hamilton returned to the cockpit of his Mercedes W11 F1 car in first practice at the Yas Marina Circuit on Friday afternoon after returning two negative test results, and fulfilling the entry requirements to make his comeback. But it was Verstappen who was able to lead the daytime practice in Abu Dhabi, edging out Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, at the head of the timesheets. Bottas had set the early pace for Mercedes on the soft compound tyre, only for Verstappen to make big gains when he switched tyres, taking top spot just before the one-hour mark. Verstappen’s lap of 1m37.378s was enough to give the Red Bull driver top spot by just 0.034 seconds from Bottas, who focused on hard tyre running for the majority of the session. Following his maiden F1 podium finish in Sakhir last week, Esteban Ocon continued his good recent form by finishing third for Renault, albeit 1.1 seconds off Verstappen’s time. Ocon was left to complete Renault’s programmes solo after teammate Daniel Ricciardo stopped on-track due to a fuel pressure problem on only his fourth lap of the day. Alexander Albon finished fourth -quickest for Red Bull as he again struggled to match Verstappen’s pace, as well as spinning at the Turn 12/13 chicane. Hamilton racked up 20 laps in the Mercedes en route to fifth place overall, setting his best time on the hard compound tyre. The British driver lost some track time early in the session due to a brake issue, but it was rectified to allow him to get back out swiftly. Racing Point drivers Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez finished sixth and seventh respectively ahead of the AlphaTauri pair of Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly, while Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 10 for Alfa Romeo. Carlos Sainz finished 11th in his final FP1 outing for McLaren, two places clear of Lando Norris as Charles Leclerc split the teammates for Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel ended the session 14th after having his best lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. Robert Kubica stepped in for Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo as part of his programme for the team, finishing 15th as he got in some more laps ahead of next week’s test day. George Russell made his return to Williams following his one-race stint for Mercedes in place of Hamilton, leaving him in more familiar territory on the timesheets as he finishes 16th, beating teammate Nicholas Latifi by six tenths of a second. Mick Schumacher’s grand prix weekend debut saw him finish 18th for Haas, continuing his preparations for a full-time drive with the team next year. Teammate Pietro Fittipaldi wound up P19, lapping 2.8 seconds slower than Schumacher.

Ferrari Chief Executive Officer Louis Camilleri has retired citing personal reasons after being in the role for nearly two and a half years and Chairman John Elkann will lead the company on an interim basis, the luxury automaker said on Thursday.Camilleri’s decision to step down came after the executive suffered health problems, which made it necessary to hospitalize him for COVID-19 in recent weeks, a company source said. He is now recovering at home but his illness was not the cause of his decision to retire, the source added. Camilleri also retired as executive chairman of Philip Morris International (PMI), the Marlboro maker said separately. Ferrari’s board is identifying a permanent successor to Camilleri, it said in a statement, giving no further details. Camilleri was appointed to lead Ferrari in July 2018 after the sudden death of former CEO Sergio Marchionne. During Camilleri’s tenure, Ferrari was one of the best performing stocks in the automotive sector, as demand for the company’s high performance cars remained strong despite the coronavirus pandemic. Under his leadership, Ferrari shares have hit record levels, with those listed on Milan bourse touching an all-time high of 182.95 euros ($222.05) last month. Camilleri was also leading a careful effort to expand the Ferrari vehicle lineup and the use of its brand, without undermining the exclusivity that supported its premium pricing and profit. U.S.-listed shares of Ferrari fell about 1% in after-hours trading on Camilleri’s retirement news. Ferrari’s Elkann told employees the company respected Camilleri’s decision to retire. “It is with great regret that I, and all of us in the Ferrari family, have learned of Louis Camilleri’s decision to step down for personal reasons from his role as our Chief Executive”, Elkann said in a letter seen by Reuters. “Louis’ leadership and passion have guided Ferrari to delivering impressive results,” Elkann said, adding that Camilleri will be available for advice to Ferrari. Elkann is the scion of Italy’s Agnelli family and CEO of Exor, the family’s investment company and Ferrari’s top shareholder. Philip Morris appointed CEO André Calantzopoulos to serve in Camilleri’s stead. Its independent presiding director, Lucio Noto, will serve as interim chairman until Calantzopoulos’ succession in May, the company said.

Romain Grosjean has posted pictures of his burnt right hand sustained in his fiery crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Grosjean miraculously walked away from a huge accident on the opening lap of the race on Nov. 29, which saw him trapped inside a burning car for 28 seconds. He has since given a horrifying account of the crash from his viewpoint and the fact he had accepted he was going to die before managing to get free. Grosjean sustained burns on both hands, injuries which ruled him out of the Sakhir Grand Prix last weekend. Despite wanting to return for the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he has returned home to Switzerland to continue surgery. On Thursday, the bandages were removed from his right hands, although they remain on his left hand. Grosjean posted two pictures, one with him giving a thumbs up gesture with his right hand. The pictures revealed a large blister-like scar below his index finger. He shared a picture to Instagram with the caption: “Bloody hell, makes me super happy to have my right hand free from dressings. Loads of creaming all day long but it feels so good to see it in such good shape. Waiting for my left hand to recover now”. The crash has effectively prematurely ended Grosjean’s F1 career, as his contract beyond Sunday’s race had not been renewed and he failed to find another seat for 2021. Before the accident he had already talked about a future away from F1, with the World Endurance Championship mentioned as a possible next step. It is currently unclear what timeline Grosjean’s recovery is working to.

George Russell has spoken out following the news that Lewis Hamilton will return for Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend, declaring that he is “glad” his fellow Brit is back to full health and that he is “buzzing” to return to Williams. The 22-year-old replaced Hamilton while he was absent with COVID-19 at the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain last weekend and finished ninth. But despite Russell donning Mercedes gear in the drivers’ press conference on Thursday, the Silver Arrows later confirmed that Hamilton would be returning. A team statement read: “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is pleased to confirm that Lewis Hamilton will drive for the team in this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “Lewis tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday prior to completion of his self-isolation period in Bahrain. This enabled him to travel to Abu Dhabi on Thursday afternoon, and he tested negative on arrival. “George Russell will return to Williams Racing for the final event of the 2020 season.” And while it means Russell will not be fighting at the front of the pack at Sunday’s Abu Dhabi race, the final event of the 2020 Formula One season, he is pleased that Hamilton is well again. Posting twice on Twitter, Russell posted a picture of himself in his Williams racing suit and said: “Back home @WilliamsRacing, checking it still fits! Did I miss much?” He added in a follow-up post: “Seriously though, glad to see @LewisHamilton back and fighting fit. “Had a blast with @MercedesAMGF1 but now I’m buzzing to put everything I’ve learned into action with my team @WilliamsRacing. Gonna give it everything this weekend – just as they do for me week in, week out.” Despite ending in ninth in Sakhir, Russell enjoyed an excellent weekend overall for Mercedes, qualifying in second just behind Valtteri Bottas on pole. He overtook the Finn at the first corner on the first lap of the race and led for much of it, only to be denied a maiden victory by a tyre mix-up at a pitstop and then a puncture. Still, Russell only enhanced his reputation and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: “We learned that George Russell is somebody to count on in the future, he has all the potential and all the ingredients that a future star needs. “In that respect, I am sad with that result that he could have had in his first race for Mercedes, but from the other side, I am happy about his performances.” “I feel for George. We didn’t want to set expectations high but he over-delivered and over-delivered and over-delivered.” “He over-delivered on Friday, he over-delivered in qualifying when he was just a few hundredths away [0.026s] from Valtteri and he over-delivered in the race.” “There is now no doubt that he’s F1 world-champion material. He didn’t make any mistakes in a challenging situation.” “He drove impeccably until he had the win taken away. Any doubts anyone had, will be gone. Clearly he’s exceptional.”

Lewis Hamilton has been given the all clear to return to Formula 1 action after passing negative coronavirus tests in both Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.The world champion was forced to miss last weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix because of being infected with the virus, but tests that have taken place in the last few days have shown him to now be all clear.

Luck is on George Russell’s side as he looks set to again substitute for recovering Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, this time for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Famously, the regular Williams driver was drafted into the World Champion’s car for the Sakhir Grand Prix, last Sunday, and might have won the race had Mercedes not made an uncharacteristic gaffe on an enthralling race in Bahrain. The scene is set for a repeat, this time 22-year-old George has a second chance at doing something special to match his incredible antics on an unforgettable evening. The same beckons this weekend for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Until to day it was not known if Lewis would return, but walking into the Yas Marina Circuit waring a Mercedes Petronas t-shirt, it appears he will be donning the Black overalls of the Champions yet again. He will team up with Valtteri Bottas again. Although yet to confirm the swap, Mercedes retweeted George’s message suggesting the decision is made.

Racing Point F1 driver Sergio Perez has revealed that following his Sakhir win he received congratulatory messages from a number of team bosses… including Helmut Marko. The revelation comes at a time Red Bull – to whom Marko is motor sport consultant and Lord High Executioner – is the Mexican’s only option to remain on the grid in 2021. “I had congratulations messages pretty much from most of the team bosses in F1, including Helmut, so it was nice to have that,” Perez told reporters in Abu Dhabi. While Marko and Christian Horner have consistently backed current incumbent Alex Albon, there is a growing feeling that the youngster is unable to offer the support Max Verstappen requires in the battle for the all-important Constructors’ Championship. Having admitted that it will look beyond its own driver pool, and that Perez is on the radar, the Austrian team intends making its decision once the season ends. “I think what they say publicly is correct,” said Perez. “They will make decision at some point after the weekend. So I don’t know when that decision will be. So there’s not a lot of hurry anymore. “It’s the end of the year, and it’s where we are. We waited so long that now one week or two weeks more is to know our decision, it doesn’t change that much.” However, Perez doesn’t believe last week’s win will influence any decision, instead feeling that it is his consistency that speaks for itself. “I’m a strong believer that in F1 one race doesn’t really change your life,” he said. “What I’ve shown in the last ten years, weekend after weekend, year by year, always having up and downs, but always coming to a year end with strong results. “This year, especially you’ve seen, my year has been very, very up and down,” he continued, “missing two races with COVID in such a short championship. And missing an engine, when we had the podium in the pocket. “So many missed opportunities, and still we’re lying fourth in the drivers’ championship. “So it’s been a very, very strong year, but also a lot of credit to the team, because they gave me a car this year, what I can show what, what I’m capable of, so that’s something very special.” Asked, should he not get ‘the call’, if he would walk away from F1 with his head held high, he replied: “All I can say is that I’m in big peace with myself. “I’m not fully in control of my future at the moment,” he added. “And it’s something that bothers you, obviously, I think any human being in this position, will struggle a bit. But given that it’s not in my hands, given the victory came, I felt that I made the most of my opportunities. “So if I have a seat for next year it’s great, but if not, I’m willing to come back in ’22. “I believe that I’m at the peak of my career, and the best years are ahead of me. So even missing a year, next year, I’m determined enough to come back for ’22. “So if I have to take a year out, I’ll do it. But I am more determined than ever to come back. And I think the victory gave me some peace to myself, but also a lot more hunger. I want more in the sport. “And after you do the first one, you know that you can do it again. And I want to do it many more times again.”

Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto will skip this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after falling unwell with a non-COVID-19 related illness. It will mark the third race weekend that Binotto will have missed this year, adding to the Turkish and Bahrain Grands Prix. Like the previous two events, Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies will once again takeover responsibility of the trackside operations in Abu Dhabi. Binotto returned to the F1 paddock for last weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix and is understood to have become ill while he was in Bahrain. Rather than travelling out to Abu Dhabi with the rest of the Ferrari team on Monday, Binotto instead decided to fly directly back home to Italy. Binotto’s absence means he will miss Sebastian Vettel’s final race weekend with Ferrari before the four-time world champion heads to Aston Martin, with McLaren’s Carlos Sainz coming in to replace the German alongside Charles Leclerc. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Binotto said he was going to oversee operations from Ferrari’s Maranello base at some of the remaining races of the season in order to streamline the Italian squad’s preparations for 2021. “You need always to balance your tasks at the racetrack and at the factory,” Binotto explained. “Still the factory is important where we are developing the car, preparing the cars. “I think I will not follow all the races, even in 2020 I am already considering eventually skipping some of the racing in the last part of the season starting from Turkey. “Because at the end, when you’re responsible for an entire team, certainly the race event is important, but the entire… management of the entire team is even more important.” Ferrari heads into the 17th and final race of 2020 sitting sixth in the constructors’ championship on 131 points, 41 points behind fifth-placed Renault and 28 clear of AlphaTauri. Leclerc also occupies sixth place in the drivers’ championship heading into the season finale, but faces a three-place grid penalty in Abu Dhabi after his involvement in the first-lap collision at the Sakhir GP.

A prominent Russian motor racing official has defended 2021 Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin amid a scandal accusing the 21-year-old driver of ‘groping’ a friend. The brief social media footage, depicting the Russian as reaching out and touching the young woman as they travelled in a car, was slammed as “abhorrent” by Haas. Mazepin responded by issuing a written apology, while the woman involved said she is “good friends” with the Formula 2 driver “and nothing from that video was serious at all”. “I can give you my word he’s a really good person and he would never do anything to hurt or humiliate me,” she added. Many social media users, however, slammed the behaviour, launching a petition calling on Haas – who according to Corriere dello Sport is being paid EUR 20 million next year by Mazepin’s father’s company – to oust him. Mazepin is regularly the subject of criticism, including of his overly defensive driving last time out in Bahrain. In 2016, he was banned from a F3 race for attacking rival Callum Ilott. After the latest incident, however, Mazepin was defended by Igor Ermilin – the former presidential advisor to the Russian auto racing federation. “Today, Formula 1 drivers are emasculated, because of their communication with the media, with corporations, with sponsors. There are very few individuals left now,” he told Sport-Express. “Social media is an evil that unfortunately gives everyone the opportunity to interfere with others’ privacy. A Formula 1 driver is a normal person who faces consequences for every sneeze,” Yermilin added. “Everyone knows that similar things happen in the personal lives of everyone else. We must give those involved with sport the opportunity to remain human.” Mazepin was also defended by Oksana Kosachenko, who was best known in the Formula 1 paddock for being former Russian driver Vitaly Petrov’s manager. “Everything that had to be done, Nikita did,” she said. “He apologised and I think that’s enough. “Because of a second and a half of footage, it became the biggest nightmare story of all time and everything must be taken away from him now? “His words made absolutely clear that he has drawn all the conclusions – namely, that as a Formula 1 driver you are under closer scrutiny by both the media and enemies in the paddock,” Kosachenko added. “Everyone else that he needs to do, he will do,” she continued. “He has the brains, the competent management and parents who will tell him how to behave in this situation.”

Mercedes are set to honour staff at their Brixworth and Brackley facilities by running a special livery on their cars at the Abu Dhabi season finale featuring every team member’s name. However, according to Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, the jury is still out on whether seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will be available to race for the team at the Yas Marina Circuit. Having wrapped up their seventh consecutive double championship already this season, Mercedes boss Wolff said ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that he’d been keen to honour the hard work put in by Mercedes’ staff at the conclusion of this unconventional, fast-paced season, which has seen 17 races run in the space of just five and half months. We have a very special surprise this weekend in Abu Dhabi for our team members,” said Wolff. “We’ll be running a slightly different livery on Saturday and Sunday featuring everyone’s name on the car to honour the huge commitment and determination from everybody in Brixworth and Brackley. “Everyone has pushed hard this year, raising the bar through this massively intense season, and we hope this gesture goes some way in showing the appreciation we have for everyone involved.”

Red Bull has denied that it will rush to snap up Sergio Perez after the out-of-work Mexican secured his first Formula 1 race win in Bahrain last Sunday. Like Nico Hulkenberg, Perez has been linked with the struggling Alex Albon’s race seat for 2021. The team has said consistently that it will make its decision about Max Verstappen’s teammate after Abu Dhabi this weekend. “Sergio Perez’s victory in Bahrain has no influence on our decision,” Dr Helmut Marko, the boss of Red Bull’s notorious driver program, told f1-insider.com. “We already knew the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates for the cockpit before that. After the last race in Abu Dhabi we will sit down and make the best possible decision.” Marko also ruled out speculation that Red Bull might now make a move for George Russell, after the regular Williams driver almost won in Bahrain last Sunday at the wheel of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. “Russell is not an issue for us,” Marko insisted. “He certainly did a great job last Sunday, but quite a few drivers in the Mercedes would have done that too.” Marko suggested that the biggest problem with Russell is his links to Mercedes. “Firstly, he is a Mercedes driver, and secondly he is managed by Toto Wolff,” said the Austrian. “In any case, he has told us on the side that he has a ten-year contract with Wolff. “That is out of the question for us. We have young drivers who also have great talent who we want to develop for ourselves, like Yuki Tsunoda.” The FIA has listed Russell as a Mercedes driver for Thursday’s official press conference in Abu Dhabi, with Wolff admitting “some question marks” hang over whether Hamilton will be able to return. “Lewis’s condition is improving, but we won’t know until closer to the time if he will be driving,” Wolff said. As for the rumours suggesting Mercedes may put Russell next to Hamilton full-time from 2021, the Austrian said: “To be honest, I haven’t made up my mind what that (the Bahrain performance) means for us.”

Red Bull Racing has named Juri Vips and Sebastien Buemi as its line-up for next week’s Formula 1 post season test in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull’s long-time test and reserve driver Buemi and 20-year-old Vips will each drive a 2020 RB16 for the entire one-day test. Vip recently joined the Swiss veteran as one of the team’s reserve drivers after completing the required 300km during a private test for the team with an older F1 car. The Abu Dhabi test will be the Estonian’s first official F1 outing in the team’s current car. Last month Red Bull named Vips as its official reserve driver for the Turkish Grand Prix when Buemi was unavailable due to his FIA World Endurance Championship duties with Toyota. Vips was due to contest the full 2020 Super Formula season, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Japan’s travel restrictions his 2020 campaign became a mix of outings in the Formula Regional championship and eight races in Formula 2, where he replaced the injured Sean Gelael at DAMS. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that Aston Martin Red Bull Racing have given me to drive the RB16 at the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi,” Vips said. “This will be the first time I get to drive a current Formula 1 car as I did my 300km in an RB8. “There will be a lot to learn but I will make sure I prepare as much as I can and it has been good for me to be with the team as reserve driver for the last few races.” Buemi, who finished fourth in the 2019-20 Formula E championship with Nissan e.dams before winning a third straight Le Mans 24 Hours with Toyota, will get his first F1 mileage since July 2019, when he suffered a high-speed crash during a Silverstone Pirelli test. “I haven’t driven the car since the Pirelli test last year in Silverstone, so the test in Abu Dhabi is very important to me,” the 32-year-old added. “I spend a lot of time working in the simulator and if you get the opportunity to drive the real car it’s much better for the correlation. “So, I can give feedback on how the simulator behaves compared to the real car. It also gives opportunity for an extra driver to provide feedback to the team. “It’s a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.” Alfa Romeo has confirmed its regular reserve driver Robert Kubica will take part in the test for the Swiss team. Kubica will join Formula 2 runner-up Callum Ilott, who was confirmed for the test by Alfa Romeo last month. The 36-year-old Pole will also take over Antonio Giovinazzi’s car in FP1 for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, making his fifth FP1 appearance of 2020 after Friday outings in Styria, Hungary, Britain and Bahrain.

Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz will not be able to drive for their new Formula 1 teams at the season-ending Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, despite the inclusion of 39-year-old Fernando Alonso. Following the news that the FIA will allow two-time F1 world champion Alonso a special dispensation to drive for Renault ahead of his return next year after a two-year absence, Ferrari and Racing Point lobbied for similar allowances on behalf of Sainz and Vettel respectively. Under FIA regulations, the Young Driver Test is usually not open only to drivers who “have competed in more than two F1 world championship races during their career… Unless otherwise approved by the FIA”, and while neither Ferrari nor Racing Point originally intended to run their incoming drivers, the inclusion of Alonso led them to try their luck. However, in an email revealed by RaceFans, F1 race director Michael Masi explained that the FIA would not extend the same courtesy to Vettel and Sainz on account of their participation in the 2020 championship. “For drivers who have participated in more than two F1 races in their career, the FIA’s approval, under Article 10.5 b) ii), will be subject to the condition that they have not competed in any Formula 1 races during the 2020 season,” Masi wrote. As a result, Vettel and Sainz will have to wait until preseason testing in March for their first drives with their new teams. At the same time, it is expected other F1 veterans such as Sebastian Buemi at Red Bull and Robert Kubica at Alfa Romeo could be joining Alonso for the test at Yas Marina Circuit on December 15.